Lou Pearlman: Citizen of the Year

Attempting to beat his own personal bottom-feeding record, former boy-band promoter and current federal inmate Lou Pearlman is now trying his hand at being a police informant. Pearlman, who founded promotional machines the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync, is currently serving a 25-month sentence in a federal penitentiary for scamming elderly investors out of $300 million in an elaborate pyramid scheme. The convicted con artist has now approached authorities, claiming that while in jail, he heard fellow inmate Davin Smith admit to fatally shooting a police officer in a botched robbery.

Pearlman has told police that he “had several contacts with Smith—both direct and overheard,” and, “urged by his lawyers, kept meticulous notes of the exchanges.” As Pearlman’s attorney, Fletcher Peacock explained, “He’s just trying to do what he can to help authorities. Quite frankly, Mr. Pearlman would have come forward with it whether he had a case pending or not. It’s just his obligation as a citizen.”

While we tip our hats to ol’ Lou for his fierce commitment to good citizenry, we’re just gonna throw it out there that he may want to try another tactic in terms of getting his sentence reduced. We’re no evidence experts or anything, but we’ve heard through the legal grapevine that guys who steal a few hundred million dollars from a bunch of old people usually don’t make the best witnesses. Something about credibility or something. [Fox News]